Falling Into Place
by How Doth the Little Crocodile
Summary: Scorpius's life is finally falling into place. He has a very successful career, he's getting married soon... But why does his former best friend and lover insist on showing up and making things more complicated than they need to be? SM/ASP, SM/RW
1. Falling

**A/N: So new chaptered fic. Not sure what to make of this one. I'll leave the opinions up to you, shall I?**

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be living in London, not here.**

***HDTLC* **

The blonde man looked at the window. It was raining out to all appearances but he knew it was a lie. The windows were fake, illusion. Maybe it was raining, maybe it wasn't. In London in September, it's pretty much a toss-up. But he wasn't thinking about that, no. No, it could all be illusion and that wouldn't be important, would it?

He was ending his first week as Minister of Magic. The campaign had been rough. If he saw another photograph of him, holding hands with his beautiful fiancée, smiling ridiculously at the crowds, he'd scream. But that was done now. He'd won his seat in this office. He'd fought and kicked and scratched his way to this position but he'd made it here.

He was 28 years old. Young for a Minister, very young, but in a community that had lost a large chunk of his generation, his youth had been an advantageous factor, not a negative one. His family, however, had been difficult to work through. It was easy to point fingers but he'd never pretended to be anyone other than who he was. His fiancée being who she was hadn't hurt him in the slightest when it came to matters of forgiveness of the past.

He was a lucky man. He knew it, she knew it, the entire country knew it. Well, all the magical folk in the country. But at the moment… all he felt was discontent.

A knock on the door came. "Minister?" a familiar voice called. He sighed. It was Toby, his loyal (if only _slightly_ annoyingly eager) assistant.

"Yes, Toby?" he called back, his exasperation not showing in his voice. What was it this time? Had the whole bloody building managed to devolve into flames in the short time he'd been staring out the window (or had it been short? He didn't quite remember, not that it mattered at the moment).

"The Head of the Aurors is here to see you, sir. Says it's urgent." He froze. Head of the Aurors?

"I didn't say urgent," a voice even more familiar than Toby's sounded. "I said it was fairly important. I don't want him to drop everything to see me."

He glanced back out the window once. How calm it seemed out there in the rain. What he would give to see it that calm in here.

He ran his hands over his face before walking over to the door and pulling it open. It was lighter than he was used to and all but flung open, almost taking him with it as it made a valiant effort at yanking his arm out of socket. He struggled to keep his composure as he thanked Toby and invited the Auror into his office. Why was it that he always managed to do something stupid in the other man's presence? The door closed and the Minister took a few steps away while the Auror remained by the door, neither taking their eyes off the other for a moment.

"Malfoy."

"Potter."

The Auror's lips twitched infinitesimally and suddenly the two were hugging. They clung to each other like brothers separated by war and time and _everything_. They separated and took their seats on opposite sides of the desk, the Minister hesitating before he took his seat, still intimidated, as he had done for the last week.

They made small talk, "How's the family? How's the fiancée?" but it was all just preamble.

"Not that it's not great to see you, Albus, but why are you here? What was so 'fairly important'?" Albus looked uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. Scorpius's hackles went up. Something was up. Something was _wrong_. A long pause filled the room as Potter tried to gather his thoughts.

"I'm here about you," Al answered finally as he got to his feet again. He put his weight on one foot then the other, never quite staying still and managing to look everywhere except directly at the man he was speaking to. Scorpius made no reply. He knew Al well enough to know he'd work himself up to it.

"I'm here about… about the wedding." The room temperature could have dropped twenty degrees in those short seconds.

"What about the wedding?" Scorpius asked through gritted teeth, clasping the armrests of his chair far too tightly. His grey eyes, normally lit with an inner kindness, especially when it came to Al, looked like sheets of ice-cold steel.

"I don't…" Albus licked his dry lips, still refusing to look at Scorpius. "I don't think you should go through with it. I won't let you go through with it."

Scorpius rose slowly to his feet. "What?" he asked in a calm, even-toned voice that was just an octave below where it normally was. Al knew this voice. This was the voice that had come out whenever someone brought up his grandfather. This was the voice that came out whenever someone threatened his family, or Al, or Rose. This was how the upper-class did absolute fury: cold, controlled, and deadly.

"Not without her knowing the truth, at least." He tried his best to keep his voice from shaking but Scor honestly scared him when he got like this. It was times like this that you remembered who exactly he was: offspring of the noble lines of Blacks, Malfoys, Greengrasses, and whatever other Pureblood badasses that had contributed to his creation. "You have to tell Rose about…"

"About what?" he snapped, his control of himself shaking. He was stressed, he was tired, he didn't need _this_ on top of everything…

"About us."

The room was filled with silence for a long time before Scorpius broke it by scoffing in disbelief.

"Us? There is no _us_, Albus! What am I going to tell her? 'Sorry, Rose, but at one time or another I may have slept with your cousin. My bad.' Sounds like a _great_ wedding gift!" he roared, not caring that the doors and walls were thin. Albus flinched and quietly cast a Silencing charm around the room.

"'At one time or another'," he quoted cruelly, "you loved me."

"What difference does it make how I felt? 'At one time or another', I wore diapers! But we all grow up, Albus!"

"Rose needs to know! She's my best friend, I can't let you lie to her for the rest of your lives."

"There is no lie! I love her! I'm marrying her! But by your too-little-too-late morality about sleeping with your best friend and _cousin_'s boyfriend, I should also tell Rose that I slept with your sister as well! Even though it was before I was even involved with either of you!"

"That's different," Al muttered.

"You're damn right it's different," he yelled. "Lily's not here, preaching to me about the value of the truth. And while we're on the subject of truth, what's it like being the out gay son of the Chosen One? Oh, that's right! You'd have no idea, would you? Your da doesn't even know, does he?"

"Look at you, turning politician before my eyes! What about you? Everyone in your constituency who voted for you knows that you bugger blokes as well as girls! Oh, wait. No one does, do they?"

"My bisexuality has NEVER been a secret! If I had been asked, I would have answered truthfully! As I wasn't, why purposefully say something that might damage my chances at getting and staying in this office, dammit! People have started to come out of the Dark Ages but they're not there yet!"

"That's all that's ever mattered, isn't it? Your stupid office? That's why you left me and you're with Rose?"

"I'm with Rose because I love her!" he said, hurt obvious in his face. "I would never use her like that! And you and I…" Here he stopped, grabbing at what was left of his patience and self-control. "We wanted different things, Albus. You wanted to be an Auror… we both got what we wanted but we wouldn't have together. You know that." His voice had gotten softer. Gone was his yell. Now he was soothing, comforting.

"No," Al answered, voice also going quiet. "No, I don't know that. We could have worked. It would have taken effort but it could have worked. But you gave up on us."

"Love shouldn't be work! It should be effortless! Like breathing in and out! And in the beginning, with you, it was. I loved you. I never said it enough but I did. But with Rose… She's what I need. She's steady and stable. Everything I'm not and everything I need. You're too much like me."

Al scoffed. "Steady and stable? Sounds like what you'd want in a horse, not a wife."

"Shut up!" he snapped. "You love Rose! She's your best friend! So what is wrong with me, who you've said you trust more than anyone, being with her?"

"Because," he said quietly, sorrow taking over his features, tears gathering in his eyes. His heart was breaking in front of the blonde, whose own heart wrenched at the sight. "Because I'm jealous. Because I hate the thought of you being with anyone other than me."

"Oh, Al," Scorpius whispered.

"Do you know how hard it is, seeing you with her? Knowing I'll have to smile at your wedding, at every family dinner, when you have your first child and name him something stupid, like Milky Way?" They smiled at each other in spite of themselves at the joke. It was an old one, one from when they were boys, First or Second Years at least. "I want to be with you and we never really had a chance._ I_ never had a chance to prove to you that I love you."

"Al, I'm marrying your cousin! Our chance has passed-"

"Don't say that! Please, don't say that. Just-" Al moved quickly. He used the element of surprise to grab the other man by the back of the neck and pressed their lips together. The blonde stiffened in surprise but melted into the kiss after a second. Al pried his lips open and was rewarded by a moan as their tongues met. He backed the other man up against his own desk and bent him back over it a little bit, causing Scorpius to wrap his arms around Al's neck, clinging to him as though he was a man adrift at sea and Al was a life preserver. They broke apart soon after, both breathing hard. Regaining his sense, Scorpius pushed Al away, _hard_.

"Al! I'm marrying Rose! How… Don't do this to me! I can't just break off our engagement because you want me to!"

"Fine! Marry her! Keep your precious career! Have tons of little blonde babies! I don't care! You're not worth being this hung up over!" Tears were sliding down his face by this point.

"You're not worth it," Al repeated to himself one last time as he turned and headed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Scorpius stared at the closed door for a while. Toby knocked but went away when he got no response. After a bit, the numbness wore off and Scorpius slid into his chair, cradling his head in his hands on his desk. His chest heaved in silent sobs but no tears would come. They crowded in his eyes but wouldn't fall. He stayed that way for who knows how long. As soon as his breathing returned to normal, he checked his reflection in the mirror. He was pale and his eyes a little red-rimmed. Presentable, he decided. He went out and told Toby he was heading out for the day and he knew where to find him. He headed home, his newly-appointed bodyguard (how he hated to be followed by this man) driving him to his new residence. Minister of Magic had its perks but this forced move he had never seen as one of them. At that point, he didn't care. He just wanted to be home so that he could collapse in peace.

***HDTLC***

**End A/N: So. I dislike the last paragraph. Crappy ending is crappy. I honestly feel sorry for Presidents and Prime Ministers for having to move into these random houses and having to be followed 24/7.**

**Anyway. No idea where the idea came from. No idea how long this is going to be but it should be updated every Friday, as time allows. Let me know if it's even worth finishing it!**

**Let me know what you think of my Al and Scor. I know how I feel about them, Scor specifically, but I'd like a little feedback.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Slowly

**A/N: Chapter two! Whoo! LOL**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed, favorited, or alerted! I adore you all! You make me want to keep writing!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, we'd get more info on the NextGen than just 10 pages.**

***HDTLC***

His fiancée, however, had different plans. Ambushing him at the door, Rose wrapped her arms around him, huge smile on her face. Maybe it wasn't traditional to live with one's fiancée before the marriage but the couple had never put much store in doing anything the traditional way.

"Welcome home, my love. Work stressful? I made dinner for us and we have wine…" When he didn't answer, she looked up into his eyes, her smile replaced by concern. "Babe, what's wrong? What's happened?"

He didn't mean to tell her. He hadn't been planning on telling her. But Al had caught him so off-guard and left him so wrong-footed that it didn't matter what he meant to do. It mattered what he did. And what he did was respond, "Albus."

"What's wrong with Al? Is he ok? Is he hurt?" Rose clutched his shoulders, panic overtaking her. Albus was her best friend and she loved him more than anything. Being an Auror was a dangerous job and he had enemies of his own without his father's thrown into the mix.

"No… no, he's fine. Look, can we go upstairs and talk?" Scorpius asked, throwing a glance at his bodyguard standing at his back.

"Of course," she answered and ushered him upstairs. As soon as their bedroom door closed, she turned to face him and leaned against it. "What happened with Al?"

Scorpius was collapsed on the bed, still fully dressed. He knew he'd be more comfortable if he dragged himself up and his clothes off but he couldn't make his muscles respond to his mental orders to pull him up off the bed. So he stared up at the ceiling above the bed and turned his thoughts to his fiancée's question. "He visited me today. And he had quite a bit that he felt he needed to say to me."

"Obviously it got you thinking. What did he say?"

"I slept with him, Rose," he replied quickly, before she had even ended her question. "Not today, obviously, I'd never do that to you, but in the past. He… he doesn't want me to marry you because of that. He thinks it's not fair to you."

Rose was stunned silent. She knew he was bisexual, it wasn't like it was a big deal, but it was different in abstract. In abstract, the idea that her future husband liked guys wasn't even an issue. He was with her! But finding out that he had slept with her male cousin? Her best friend?

"When?" was all she had to ask.

"When we first started dating. Before we were exclusive, obviously. I'd never cheat."

The room was silent for a very long time before Rose gave a snorting laugh.

"What?" Scorpius asked as he turned his head towards her, not fathoming what exactly about this situation was so damn funny.

"Your heart is out to get you, love! Weasleys! All of us! Me, Al, Lily…"

"You know about Lily?" he screeched, shooting up on the bed. She laughed harder as his shoulder-length blond hair frizzed out with static electricity.

"Of course I know about Lily. Who else do you talk to about losing your virginity than your older cousin? It's not like she had an older sister to help her out!" The two stared at each other for a while before bursting into laughter. Rose joined him on the bed, both fully dressed in their day clothes, both shaking with laughter. "Is there anyone in my family you haven't fucked?"

"Your dad… Um, yeah no, I think that's it," he joked. She thwacked him across the chest as she shifted herself to lay by his side. He grabbed that arm and kissed the inside of her wrist.

"None," he said gently. He placed a kiss on the inside of her elbow. "Compare." He dragged his body closer to hers and pushed her short shirt sleeve up to reveal her entire arm. "To you," he murmured into the skin of her shoulder.

"Don't you forget it," she replied, her head thrown back while her fingers laced themselves in his hair. He proceeded to prove it to her, forgetting about his best friend for a while.

*HDTLC*

"Al!" Rose called out, catching him outside his office. She was headed to her own as Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department but she needed a word with her favorite cousin. As their offices were on the same floor, she had easy access to him at this time of day.

"Rosie!" he said, smile lighting his face. She knew him well enough to know it was forced and to notice that it didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't you 'Rosie' me," she snapped in a low voice, aware of the people around them. "How dare you?"

The smile slipped of his face as if it had never been there. "It needed to be said, Rose. You needed to know the truth." His jaw set in a way that reminded her far too much of James. He was supposed to be the one so stubborn it bordered on stupid, not her sweet-tempered Al. _Not so sweet-tempered though, is he, the backstabbing bitch,_ she thought to herself.

"You tried to destroy my marriage!" she hissed. "You tried to steal my fiancée! And for what? Some fling you had back in Sixth Year? You are 28 years old, Albus. It's time to grow up." She turned from him, intending for this to be the end of the conversation.

"He still loves me!" he yelled at her retreating back. The entire office stopped what they were doing to stare at the two. "He kissed me yesterday! Explain that, Rosie! Tell me it's time to grow up when he loves me more than anyone, then and now!"

"This is _sad_, Albus," she gritted out slowly. "It's _pathetic_. You are doing yourself no favors by prolonging this. It was _twelve years ago_. Move on!"

"You don't know about him! I'll bet he didn't tell you about Lily."

"You'd lose that bet," she snapped coldly. "And I already knew anyway. I knew long before you did. But it didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now. Who _cares_ who was with before?"

"Of course you don't," he cried. "You got what you wanted! You won! Like you always do!"

"Oh, you poor, poor, pitiful thing! You took your father's place as Head of the Aurors. You fought for what you really wanted and you got it! If you had really wanted him, you would have kept him! So who doesn't love who, Albus? Who made the effort… and who didn't?"

She walked away and didn't look back. When she got to her office, she closed and locked the door then sunk down in her chair. Work was her lowest priority, even seeing that her inbox had grown exponentially from yesterday. Her thoughts could not be gathered, however. They scattered like dust particles. The tighter she tried to grip them, the faster things got out of hand. This was not what she had wanted. She had never meant to hurt Al; she just wanted him to back off. And if he came back for more now, he was a fool.

***HDTLC***

**End A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter. Ok, that's a lie: I believe it to be my weakest so far. But it will get better.**

**I feel like I'm writing a soap opera here. This is very separate from what I normally write, which might be why I'm having such a good time writing it. I'm developing the characters' personalities more and more as we go along. As for those mentioned... keep a weather eye out for Little Miss Lily.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Eyes

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I fail at life, I know! The last couple of weeks have been nuts. Had a paper on the Christian angel hierarchy and how it differs from the Islam and Judaic hierarchies due and had four interviews and Calc 1 can go fuck itself in a dark corner and just... Ugh. Again, so sorry this is late. To make up for it, I'm uploading two chapters tonight.**

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy!" Reporters called after him. "Do you have anything to say in response to rumors of you being involved with the Head of the Aurors?" He ignored them steadfastly. He had seen the tabloids. He knew the gossip. Twelve years ago, it had been true. It wasn't now. But he knew any response would need a longer story than he was prepared to give so he headed towards his office and away from the nosy guttersnipes. As soon as he got to it, he slammed the door then leaned against it to catch his breath.

"Sir?" He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice.

"Oh! Toby! You scared me." The younger man gave the blonde a sympathetic look.

"The rabid masses are back." He spoke in such a monotone voice with his doe eyes wide that Scorpius couldn't help but dissolve into giggles. Toby looked at him as if he'd gone mad before he gathered his senses again. He held out a hand in a silent apology as he composed himself.

"This is ridiculous," Scorpius said, collapsing into his seat. "What the hell did he say to Rose? And why would he say it in front of people? Merlin, that man is nothing but trouble."

"Ummm…" Toby started then stopped, lower lip crushed between his teeth. Scorpius raised his eyebrows, tacitly giving him permission to speak. "Is… is it true? Are you cheating on Miss Rose? Because Mr. Potter was in here the other day and you were yelling and there have been rumours forever and I know you two were friends at school and you were even best friends at one point and-"

Scorpius cut off the young man who had started to speak so fast that he was having trouble following. "No, Toby. I'm not in a relationship with Albus, nor would I ever cheat on Rosie. Albus and I… we do have a history, yes. One Al cannot let go of. Rose apparently took it upon herself to make it stop. Wouldn't know if I'd call this success, what about you?"

"Sir… Are you going to say anything to reporters? They're not going to be ignored for long."

Scorpius put his head in his hands. He sat that way for about thirty seconds, mentally debating with himself. Finally, he pulled his head up and told Toby, "You're right. We're going to need _them_."

*HDTLC*

"Scorpius!" the man with silvery blond hair cried as he launched himself at the Minister. Scorpius looked wide-eyed at his fiancée, who smiled back, trying to hold back a laugh as her fiancé's arms stuck out at odd angles around the other man's body.

"Hello, Lysander," Scorpius greeted, trying to breathe as the other man clutched his torso.

"All right, all right, enough, Ly." An exact copy of the man squeezing Scorpius for all he was worth approached and tugged on his twin's arm. "Let the man go."

Lysander sighed and pouted like a child deprived of a sweet as he released the other blonde. "Fine. But only because Lor needs to get everything set up for your interview."

"Sorry about him," Lorcan Scamander said as he led the couple away. "He's the touchy-feely type."

"And you hate to be touched so it all works out," Rose responded sweetly, batting her eyelashes teasingly at her childhood friend.

Lorcan snorted. "Yeah. Twins. He's one of the only ones I can stand to touch for any length of time. Wow, that sounded dirtier than I meant it to." He laughed to himself. "All right. Please sit down, sir," he said as they walked into a white-walled room, gesturing to a pair of comfortable-looking chairs. He glanced at Rose and pulled out his wand to conjure another. "Don't normally interview pairs but it might be useful this time."

"Oh, I don't want any part of this. I'm furniture. Here for moral support," Rose assured him.

"And you don't have to call me 'sir', Lorcan. You've called me Scorpius since we were eleven, no point in changing now." Scorpius gave a small smile before taking a seat, the others following his lead.

Lorcan gave a tight smile in return. "You don't mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill, do you?" An apprehensive look crossed Scorpius's face. "I'll let you look over everything and send you a copy before it's published to make sure nothing's wrong," Lorcan was quick to assure him. "It's just easier for everyone if it's written in a hand other than my own. No one but Ly and myself can read it, unfortunately."

"Sure," Scorpius answered, still a little wary. He would have said no but he knew the twins. Both former Ravenclaws were brilliant and trustworthy, without a vindictive bone in either of their identical bodies.

"Ok. So, your first week as Minister. How has it been?" His quill sat in the air, ready to write.

"Long." He laughed as the quill began to shoot across the page. "The building is still there, no vital parts missing, and no dark wizards intent in taking over the world have emerged, so well enough, I guess."

"No scandals, then."

"Not any that have any basis in fact anyway. People love to talk."

"So does that include the rumors flying about concerning yourself and the head of the Aurors, Albus Potter?" Scorpius took a deep breath and let it out in a sound that could have been taken for a sigh in a lesser man.

"Albus and I have been friends for a very long time." The quill scribbled furiously. "Best friends when we were at school. But time and distance makes you drift apart, I afraid."

"Distance? You both work in the Ministry and have since you got out of school. There are even reports that you went on your Tour together." Scorpius smiled at the memory of that time, months spent traveling through Italy and France and the Baltics with Al, then shot a quick glance at his fiancée. He needed to watch what he said with her in the room; he didn't need a repeat of what had happened last week with Albus.

"We work in different departments and don't see each other much, just sort of pass in the halls and such. We wanted different things. Always did."

"So what sparked the rumors now?" Lorcan kept his face blank as he asked the questions. He didn't give a damn about what the rest of the population wanted to hear. He needed to know what had happened between his two friends.

"Albus has recently attempted to reconnect, something I think would be good for us, seeing as I'm marrying his close friend and cousin in less than a year."

"Close friend and cousin?" Lorcan asked as if he didn't know. "Is this the same person who was witnessed to have a rather vocal spat with Mr. Potter outside his office last week?" Rosie shifted in her seat.

"My fiancée, Rose, is very close to Albus. But even close relatives argue. It was over a family thing and what happens within a family is their business and no one else's. When you get a large extended family that still remains close like the Potter-Weasley family, you are bound to get disagreements. In fact, there was almost a war in the family over Rose and I getting engaged. Luckily, there were many more people on our side than going against us so we ended up receiving their blessing, which I ever much appreciated." He glanced at Rose; her face never changed, never acknowledged his lie about the argument. "My fiancée's family is very different than mine. It definitely wrong-footed me when I first got to know them. There was some prejudice there from the Second Wizarding War but most knew better than to judge me based on my name. It goes both ways, that. Like the name Harry Potter isn't known worldwide. Growing up, his kids tried to shake their name just like I tried to shake mine. I think that's how Al and I connected at first."

"Is this also how you connected with his younger sister, Lily Potter?"

Scorpius felt like he had been hit by the Knight Bus. "What?"

"Do you need me to repeat the question?"

"I heard the question!" he raged in response. It was stupid and irrational but he couldn't help it; he had always been protective of his Lily. "Where is it coming from?"

"There have been hints at a relationship between yourself and Lily Potter some time ago."

"We were at school! We had a very short relationship. Neither of us was ready for one and we parted as friends. To this day, I treat her as a sister. Where did that come from?"

"Just trying to ascertain who you are, Mr. Malfoy," was the monotone answer. The interview shifted tones suddenly, going from his personal life to his politics. It stayed there, thankfully, until the interview had come to a close. After it was done, Scorpius stood up, obviously still riled up from the previous line of questioning.

"What the hell was that about Lily?" he demanded to know as Lorcan rolled up his parchment of notes and stuck the quill in his pocket. "And don't you dare print that!"

"I needed to know the truth," he answered unapologetically, shrugging, looking much like his more carefree brother as he did so. "Al showed up at my flat last night, drunk out of his mind. He kept staring at Ly and calling for you. I think it was the blond hair that did it; I think that's why he showed up. When we got ahold of Louis to come get him, Al started crying, saying that he was useless and that no one wanted him."

"Oh, no," Rose said mostly to herself, sorrow twisting her pretty features. She hadn't meant to hurt him or drive him to drink.

"I needed to know what had happened to get him to that point. Look, Scor. I'm not saying you should get back with him. I mean, you _are_ getting married. But you need to make him see that you're happy. He's got it into his head that he's saving you. And he won't rest until he does."

"I'll… I'll try," he promised. He took Lorcan's hand and shook it before leading his future wife out of the room. They passed Lysander as they left, saying their goodbyes.

"Why don't you like him, Lor?" Lysander asked his brother, coming into the room as his brother tidied it up.

"I like him just fine. I just…" He absently shuffled his papers into a stack, his back to his brother.

"You're jealous." It wasn't a question. Misty-blue eyes met identical ones as Lysander looked curiously at his brother, who had turned to him at the statement. "You want Al for yourself."

The older of the two blushed lightly. "No, I… I just want him to be happy." He gathered up the notes and put the quill in the pocket of his robes. "That's all," he stressed, looking his brother square in the face.

Lysander shook his head but said nothing, watching his brother retreat from the room.


	4. Know

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far. Honestly. I love it. I adore Lily. Writing her is basically my favorite part of writing this story. She's just... Uh. I love her. Moving on.**

"Knock, knock, pretty boy."

Scorpius looked up from the pile of papers on his desk to turn his attention towards the person standing in the doorway of his open office door. Lily stood there, signature smirk firmly in place. There was a reason the 26-year-old once called the Slytherin dorms home, just as he did. Her body, athletically slim, was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked extremely comfortable where she was. The two stared at each other for a while, Scorpius fighting the smile that wanted to make itself known since the moment he saw her.

He got to his feet finally and opened his arms. "Get your skinny ass over here, kid." She smiled her thousand-watt smile as she ran to hug him, her black skirt fluttering prettily about her ankles. She pressed her lips to his cheek before pulling away, her long red hair tickling his neck.

"How's my favorite almost-cousin-by-marriage?" she asked as she draped herself on the chair across from him.

"Technically, I'm already your cousin," he snarked back.

"Yeah, but it's like fifth or sixth. That totally doesn't count." She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed.

"Will you ever grow up, Lily-girl?"

"Doubt it. There doesn't seem to be much fun in it."

Scorpius smiled tenderly at her. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too, love. So how's the Rose? Still thorny as ever?"

"She's brilliant. You should try to get along with your cousin better," he told her, attempting to look scolding and failing miserably. The two had never gotten along and probably never would. They belonged far too much in their respective houses. Rose was a true Gryffindor. She would lay down her life for her loved ones, was braver than any one woman should be, and more than slightly condescending when it came to those she felt were in the wrong. Lily was Slytherin, completely and totally. She was selfish, short-tempered, and knew how to get what she wanted. Her first concern was her and those she considered hers. Everyone else was someone else's problem.

"Yeah, I'll leave that to you. Now, what I'm really here for is…" Scorpius took his cue from her words and picked up his wand off the desk to magically flick the door closed. "Might want to spell it too," she advised. He did as she recommended.

"You're here about Albus." It wasn't a question.

"He's a mess, Scor. He's been staying with me for the last few days. I don't want him home alone. I don't know why it's hit him so hard all of a sudden. It's not like you and Rose haven't been together since you were in school."

"Off and on, though. I don't think he honestly thought we'd stay together long enough to get married. He thought he'd have another chance. And I can't give him that."

"Maybe you can," Lily replied, giving him a devious smile. "It would take some convincing when it comes to Rose but maybe you could give Al what he wants. Let your relationship die a natural death."

"Lily, it already died a natural death. Three times! Three times I've got with him and realized we don't mesh. We weren't meant to be in a relationship. We can't function as a couple!"

"But you still love him." She received no answer. "Don't even try to play with me. Rose doesn't know you well enough to know when you're lying but I do. That's why she doesn't know about the other two times you tried with him. Face it. As much as you love Rose, you love Al just as much. Maybe more."

Scorpius groaned and placed his head in his hands. "Lils, I don't need this right now. I'm Minister of fucking Magic. I shouldn't still have issues in relationships. It's like being back at school! I feel like a teenager all over again, still coming to terms with the fact that I'm bisexual! I don't want him to be in love with me! I want him to move on and find someone more deserving than me! Why can't he give up on me?"

Lily laughed at him. "You just don't get it, do you? Potters love once. Period. Albus imagines himself in love with you and so he has to fight for you."

"What do you mean, imagines himself to be in love with me?" Scorpius demanded, partially insulted and also grasping at what looked a lot like a way out, an escape.

"Oh, he's not really in love with you. I mean, not like the Potter all-consuming-do-anything-for-that-one-person love. Normally, we find them in school. Al is no different. It's just not you."

"Who is it, then?" Scorpius asked, curious. Of course, he wanted Al to be happy and not in love with him. He was just having a little bit of jealousy issues.

"You'll figure it out eventually. The important part is getting him to realize it. He's just like Da, honestly. So stupid when it comes to love. Mum loved him for years before he figured out that he loved her back. Oh, speaking of, Mum wanted me to tell you and Rose that we're having a family dinner at the Burrow tonight. You have to be there or Grandma will be offended." Lily smiled as she got to her feet to leave.

"Looks like we don't have a choice, then," he answered with a sigh.

"Of course you don't. You're marrying a Weasley woman. If you haven't figured out by now you don't get a say, you're slower than Uncle Ron thinks." She wiggled her fingers at him over her shoulder as she sashayed from the room. He shook his head in exasperation, smile on his lips.

*HDTLC*

"Uncle Scor! Aunt Rose!" The 14-year-old, having been a redhead when she opened the door, changed her hair color to match that of the man standing before her.

"Hey, Squish," Scor responded, holding out his arms to his third cousin. She gladly threw herself into his offered hug. When she pushed herself back from him, she tugged on her blonde strands and the tips turned Rose's shade of burgundy.

"I think I'm gonna keep it like this for your wedding," she said as she grabbed his hand and yanked him into the crowded living room of the Burrow.

"Aurora Brigit, are you tormenting your Uncle Scor?" Teddy asked his daughter, unable to keep the laugh from his voice.

"No!" she cried about the same time that Scorpius answered "Yes!" He grabbed her by the waist and swung her around as she shrieked.

"How's Hogwarts, kid?" he asked, setting her back down and placing a kiss on top of her head, a motion she shied away from, making a face at him.

"Same as always. Ravenclaws are arrogant, Hufflepuffs are useless, and the Gryffindors and Slytherins are at each other's throats."

"Are you doing our house proud?" Scorpius asked, faking a stern look at her that was ruined a smile.

"Of course," was her indignant response.

"She's even dating a Gryffindor," her mother added from her place on Teddy's lap, who sat at the kitchen table with George and Angelina on one side and Arthur on the other, his hair more grey than red in present days. Victoire leaned her head back onto her husband's shoulder as he toyed with her silvery blonde hair. Their daughter glared at them.

"My love life is not on the table."

"What love life, dear?" Molly asked, sweeping into the room with a pot of mashed potatoes on her hip.

"Nothing, Gramma!" Aurora was quick to reply.

"Does little Rori have a boyfriend?" Scorpius almost broke his neck, his head turned so fast when he heard Al's voice come from where his grandmother had just come from. In his hands, he held a platter loaded down with what was either a huge roast chicken or a small turkey. Al's eyes went wide when he saw his ex.

"Hi," Scorpius breathed out. he had known Al was going to be here, obviously, but he hadn't been quite prepared.

"Hey," he responded, glancing at Rose, who was biting her lip behind her fiance. The room was filled with an awkward silence, aside from the newest generation of Weasley children, Lucy's two girls and Dominique's son, playing in the corner by their mothers.

"Al, you're blocking the doorway," another familiar voice said from behind the shell-shocked man. He shifted to let Lorcan Scamander into the room with his brother trailing behind him.

"Hi, Scor!" Lysander cried, darting forward and placing his pot of green beans on the table before throwing his arms around the Minister of Magic. Scorpius couldn't help but be grateful to this socially inept man who always seemed to make things better with his way of only seeing the good in everyone. He could only have gotten that trait from his mother.

"You all right?" Scorpius heard Lorcan murmur to Al.

"Fine," Al muttered back. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Misty-blue eyes met green and Scorpius gapped at the look exchanged between the two of them. Lorcan was looking at Al as if no one else existed. Nothing was registering besides disbelief in his head until Lily glided to his side, her short black dress riding up her thighs as she moved.

"I invited them," she said, smiling at the twins and how they interacted with her family around them. "So, you figured it out yet?" Lily asked, lips ghosting near his ear. Rose shot her fiancée a look as she engaged Al in a conversation (more than likely apologizing for their fight. She could never stay mad at anyone). Scorpius grabbed her arm and towed her into the entryway of the house, away from the crowds.

"Lorcan?" he asked, shock written in his voice. Lily grinned.

"I love that you're bright. It makes things ever so much easier." He glared darkly at her.

"You cannot play with his love life! He's already been hurt enough!"

"But if he ends up with Lorcan then he'll leave you to be with your lovely little fiancée. Isn't that what you want?"

"I... Well, I…" Rose chose that moment to poke her head around the corner. Not liking the lost expression on her fiancée's face any more than she liked the plotting expression on her younger cousin's, she pursed her lips.

"Dinner's ready, you two. Grandma Molly will be upset if you don't come to the table now." Lily shot the blonde a look that he returned. Both followed Rose into the now-empty living room and out the back door to the tables set up out under the early October's night sky.

"I'm sitting next to Scor!" Lily announced, taking the seat on his right as he sat down. Rose sat to his left, with her father on her own left. Al, as chance would have it, was seated right across from him with Lorcan and Lysander sitting beside one another sitting on his right side.

This is was gonna be a long night.


End file.
